Monday, January
14, 2019
Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people; come near and rescue me. Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones. Let me rejoice in the joy of your people; let me praise you with those who are your heritage. Psalm 106:4-5(NLT)
There are some salesmen who don’t need
to be in sales; I am the poster child for that group! In 1968 I was fresh out
of the army and lacking any idea what to do with my life; I needed a job to put
food on the table. When the sales job
was offered, I became a salesman. I
hated it. I recall, early on, being shown
the ropes by my manager, Nick.
He took me to a neighborhood, and we began knocking on front doors. After several conversations on front porches,
we were approaching the next house, and Nick said, OK, the next one is yours. I wanted to run like the wind…anywhere! It’s as clear as a watermelon stuck in your
stomach, that feeling I had as I knocked on that green front door…I was forcing
a smile on the outside, but with each knock the thought grew: Oh, man…I hope nobody’s home…please, God…let
there be nobody home.
I’ve lost track of who said it,
but the quote about prayer rings loudly within:
Some pray faintly, lest God actually hear, and they be known.
In much the same way I did not
want to be known as the pitiful excuse for a salesman I knew Russell to be,
many Christians really don’t want to be known by God for their weak faith. And so, we pray faintly so as to
not awaken God, and have him snicker at us, or worse, get mad and toast us for
breakfast!
However, this is one messed-up
sense of theology. God doesn’t make fun
or get mad at people whose faith is shaky, especially when they’re trying to
pray and get stronger.
Here’s what the apostle James said
about that:
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5(NLT)
Recognizing your prayers have been
timid, hoping just to check-off that you prayed, is like a soldier who is
learning how NOT to fight. It
just doesn’t make sense, and it makes a sham of our commitment to follow Christ
as a disciple.
So, here is what the apostle Paul
has as a remedy for faint praying; it is his advice, admonition and
heartfelt prayer for all of us who want to serve God effectively:
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12(NLT)
For You Today
If you’ve found yourself knocking
timidly on heaven’s door, hoping deep within that you’ll get credit for showing
up, but deep down inside knowing you’d rather not cause a disturbance, or that
God won’t even hear you at the door…take Paul at his word…put yourself in God’s
armor and knock hard on that prayer door; let God’s power start to flow into
your life. God’s been waiting for someone
who prays like he means it to show up at his front door.
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